Truth be Told: Falling
by missNOBODYa.k.aKiDcRaXy
Summary: Falling into the world she once called fiction, Red finds herself getting more questions than answers, escaping a marine prison, discovering her protector, and deciding whether or not she's ready to head out for the adventure of a life time. Part 1. OC warning.
1. rewind

**Hi! for anyone reading this story I just want you to know the first chapter takes place in the real world. This is also my first story but it won't be last.**

**Red: bla bla bla, get on with the story!**

**Okay, little miss bossy. **

**Red: I'm not little!**

**Sure~**

* * *

_"Only those who will risk going to far can possibly find out how far one can go."_

_-T.S Eliot_

Chapter 1. Rewind

Trying to dodge falling debris, I raced to find an exit. I had to keep moving or else the floor would break under me. I coughed; _the smoke is getting to my lungs._ Even though my vision started fading in an out, I had to find a way out.

CREAK!

The ceiling above me caved in. I soon found myself trapped and running out of time . . . and air! _I need to breathe! _My vision started fading once again. _I can't die here. _I kept on chanting in my head. _I still need to complete my goal, my dream._

**Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop the tape! Who forgot to rewind the tape! Now the viewers know part of the chapter's ending. Ugh! I'll just rewind it to the beginning. **

Please wait for the tape to rewind, while you're waiting enjoy one of your favorite tunes…

Elevator music  ~ ~

. . . CLICK!

The tape has now re-winded to the beginning. I hope this won't cause any confusion for you while you read the fanfic.

ENJOY!

Running. It's something I always seem to be doing. Some people think I'm running away from something, but sometimes I'm chasing something. Something that I always wanted. "GET BACK HERE!"…but right now I'm running away from someone.

Zigzagging through the crowd of people, checking every now and then that my red cap is still on my head, _yup this is my life... I should probably get a hobby. _Turning my head around, my raven-black hair slightly getting in my eyes, I notice the guy chasing me isn't there. _Maybe he gave up, but just to be sure I should probably keep running._

The situation I'm in is pretty... _complicated._ I was doing a favor for a friend. He's sick and can't afford to buy medicine, so I decided to help him. You don't need money if you have a '**five finger discount'**. Yeah. That may not have been the greatest decision of my life, considering I got caught and was running away from security, but I still would do it if it was for a friend.

Jumping over the garbage bags in front of me, I take a sharp turn to the left, past the hot dog stand._ I'm almost there, just a little farther._

If I notice my surroundings, I might have noticed the lack of people... that and the crow bar heading toward my face. Jumping back on instinct, I look at the three goons in front of me. One on both my sides, each holding a weapon, and the leader is smirking at me. _The cobras!_

I remember these guys anywhere. "Well, well, well" the leader said while walking forward. "What is little Red doing on our turf?" He stated. I 'tched' _I'm not little!_

The other two cronies start to get closer. I got in my defensive stance. "Get out of my way, Nick; I don't have time for your games." He chuckled. "Last time I checked you guys still owe us money." **LIAR**. We won that gambling match fair and square... well sort of. Hey, we're thieves not saints.

I looked over my surroundings trying to find the fastest route to escape. _Small ally, nothing here but a few crates and glass bottles._ Nick moved forward, gripping his crowbar "We can let you go if you let us have what's in that satchel.'' My hand clutched the chestnut brown satchel as I pulled it off my black jacket. _Okay, it's now or never. _I could see the smirk on his bearded face as I lifted the satchel. _Fool the mind and the battle is yours._

"Catch!"

I threw the satchel straight into the air, making them all looked up at it. _Idiots. Q_uickly, I grabbed the nearest bottle and hit nick on the head and sweep his feet, making him drop his crowbar and land on some crates.

The other two guys notice this and went after me. I smiled my sweet-but-deadly-smile and lunged forward, hands balled into fists.

Both of them had a knife. The tall man lunged forward knife pointed at me. I ducked under his knife and whirled my foot out, clipping his template. He dropped to the ground with a thud.

_Two down, one to go._

I looked up at the second guy as he scowled at me, clearly not happy 'bout what I did to his 'buddy'. He was leaner than his friend, and seemed to have gotten his partner's knife. He moved forwarded, trying to jab me with his knifes. I rolled out of the way and picked up the crowbar Nick dropped. It gave me great pleasure to knock him on the head with it. Though, I did get grazed on the arm, he's the one that's unconscious, so I call that a win for me!

I stood straight and brushed off some dust from my worn down, blue jeans. _Well better keep moving. _I picked up my satchel and walked a few steps before I spotted the crowbar. In the end, I decided to take it with me. _just in case I run into any more trouble._

I started running again.

Running is my life. I run because I can, because I must, because I want to see how far I can go before I have to stop.

**xxx**

I kept on running till I reached the railroad and then the fence. It's like a barrier, separating them from us... the poor. The _outcasts._

My paced slowed as I swung around the corner. My right hand ran along the cold walls, counting the passage ways as I went by.

_8_

_9_

_10!_

I stopped in front of an opening that contains a stairway leading down. I went down each stone step, being careful with the slipperiness' of the moss. Each step brought me closer to the darkness. _Good thing I know this place like the back of my hand._ One left turn and two right turns. I began to hear voices as I entered the small hideout.

As I walked toward the two familiar voices, I noticed they started slowing down before stopping altogether.

_Crap._

Suddenly (but not unexpected) two bats were swung towards my head. I jumped back and raised my hands up in the air.

"Whoa! Guys calm down, it's just me, Red."

The two guys looked to at each other and sighed in relief. _They must still be jumpy 'cause of what happened last time._ Let's just say that you shouldn't gamble with a mob gang leader. "Sorry Red, you can never be too careful around here." Explained Carl, the gambler.

I shrugged as I walked over to the hammock and put my satchel down on the floor, then laid down in the old hammock. "So Red, what took ya so long?" asked Theo as he put away the bats in one of our many hiding places. I turned my head to face the twenty year old, his face covered in messy brown locks, "Well, it turns out the cobras still haven't gotten over the beating we gave them last time."

Carl chuckled, "They were always sore losers." He stated as he went back to drinking his liquor, letting his mustache and dirty white t- shirt get wet.

"Well, we _did_ cheat" stated Theo as he sat on the run down sofa. I chuckled "Well, they were going to kill us if we lost so-," "We had no choice." Carl finished. I nodded my head in agreement and laid back down in the hammock, pulling my cap over my blue eyes.

Frankly, I was tired. Running around all day can take a lot out of ya. And I was almost in dreamland when a gruff voice woke me up.

"By the way I got the _thing_ you asked me for."

When those words left his mouth I shot up from the hammock so fast that it almost tipped over. "What, really?!" I exclaimed while trying not to fall of the hammock. Carl only nodded him head and tossed me a small box. I grabbed it and tore it up.

Theo chuckled "Man, I've never seen you so excited."

It's true. I've never been this excited since I got the latest issue of _One Piece._ Hey, I need some way to entertain myself. I got it by chance. Though I'm not a total fan girl and I haven't read all the issues but I still get the story. Besides I don't have a lot of free time or money to read. I have other things to do, like not starving to death or ending up in jail, you know, just _average_ teen stuff.

I took out what was in the rectangular box. _Butterfly knifes. _It's a folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang so that, when closed, the blade is concealed within the handles. I had one before but I lost it in a fight.

"Thanks," I said, still admiring the knifes.

"Don't mention it; think of it as a late birthday present."

I stop and looked up at him, confused. _Birthday? _"I don't have a birthday."

"Well, the day they found you is good enough." Theo chimed in. I glanced at him and put the knifes in my satchel. _That day, the day I lived and died._ "Whatever, I'm going to get some rest." I deadpanned. They both glanced at each other before shrugging their shoulders. I laid back down in the hammock and finally let the darkness take over.

** Dream land~**

_White. That was all that I saw. '_It's so bright,_'_

_Light was everywhere. It was all around me, so cool and warm similar to a thin blanket. _

_Then voices, voices from the past and all many colors that came with them._

_"There you are my little flower," silver._

_Find us…_

_"You're a mockingbird" blue._

_Find us_

_"I will never forget you, my little wildflower" red._

_Find us!_

_"We want to go with you" yellow. _

**_Find us!_**

_Suddenly, the light seems to shatters and the scene changes. Now I'm in a vast meadow with hundreds of wildflowers…_

The night sky…

_"I see everything, I'm know everything,"_

The stars…

_"You are never alone because I'm everywhere,"_

The moon…

_"Will you come back one day?"_

Your eyes…

_"I promise,"_

**The rose **

The scene changes once more. All I see is darkness as I fall into a cold abyss…

"_We will forever be your child of the night_... mother,"

**Red.**

_"Death cannot stop me from keeping my word."_

_"Do you accept…?"_

_"Yes"_

**_Paradise grove!_**

_Then fire… everything was red… like me._

* * *

I wake up with a gasp, shooting up so fast that the hammock tipped over and I fell off with a thud.

"...Ow."

"Red, are you ok?"

I look up and see Theo staring at me, a worried look on his face. I flashed him a reassuring smile "I'm fine, I didn't fall _that _hard." His face didn't change. "You know that's not what I'm talking about." He stated, his face turning serious for a second.

Standing up, I started brushing the dust off my clothes. "I said I'm _fine_, let's leave it at that." I could feel his eyes still staring at me. "You had another dream didn't you?" Ignored him, and went over to my satchel and grabbed a dark blue leather journal and start writing in it.

After a few minutes of silence I thought he gave up.

I was wrong.

Hearing light foot steps come closer to me made me frown in aggravation. I know he's worried but can't he just drop it. The light is blocked out as his shadow covers my journal, making me stop writing. He heavily sighs, "You haven't been getting much sleep lately."

I scoffed "I'm fine."

"_Fine_? Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately?"

I sighed. _It's time_. My harsh eyes meet his as he continued to stare at me, waiting for me to respond or retort with some type of comeback. He looked so serious. He means well, but…I can't do this _again_.

My eyes glance around as I noticed something was missing, or _someone_. If Carl's not here then that means...

We're alone.

"Where's Carl?"

"H-he went out." He stuttered, surprised by the sudden question.

Roughly, I closed the journal and grabbed my satchel. "Good, tell him I said bye." I put the journal in the satchel and stood up, briskly walking past him as he tried to process what just came out of my mouth.

"W-wait, _what_?"

Placing my cap on my head, I turned back to him. "I'm leaving for good." I simply repeated as I walked away. Or at least tried to.

"Red wait!"

That was the last straw, I snapped as I turned around to glare at him. "Wait for what, life, _death_? Just save it! You know that I can't stay in one place for long; you know that this was going to happen and I know what you're going to say, I heard it a million times before, Its either "You don't have to go" or "You can't live like this" so for once in your life don't say anything!" My voice raising to a near scream at the end.

I looked at him one last time, his wide eyes and hanging mouth and turned around and walked out.

**xxx**

The blazing sun continue to hit my back as I walked down the cracked pavement. I've been walking for a while, just trying to clear my mind. I know I could have been nicer to Theo, but I just couldn't go through that again. _Still, I should have been nicer_.

The sun is starting to set and I still don't have anywhere to sleep. And there is no way I'm going back to the hide out. My shoulders slouched. I_'m gonna have to sleep under a truck again._

I stopped and looked at my reflection in one of the windows of the shop. My red t-shirt and black jacket looked a little torn and old, my jeans weren't any better and my black boots were all scuffed up. I looked at my face, my raven black hair with that one white strand of hair on my right, the red cap still on my head covered my messy bun. My blue eyes did have bags underneath them from lack of sleep. I looked kinda tan from all the sun I get.

Still, I didn't look that bad compared to most of the people who live here._ I don't look great but at least I'm alive. _That's when I hear it, the thing that changes my life forever.

_Find me~_

I know that hearing voices in your head is bad and you should probably ignore them, but this is the only thing that seems right. I look around, trying to find the location of the voice.

_I'm here~_

_Where's here_? The voice seems to be in the wind, coming from all directions. Then I hear it once more, but this time it's clearer, louder.

_Walk~_

I didn't know what was happening but I found myself walking to who knows where.

_Faster~_

I was gaining speed with each step, before I knew it I was running.

_I'm here~_

Any sane person would PROBABLY ignore the voice and walk away but I'm _not_ sane. The voice soon faded away as it called one last time.

_Stop_

I stopped moving and looked in front of me. There on the floor was an old lady and in front of her were old trinkets, watches, books, broken vases just about anything you would find in a store.

"Hello, would you like anything little lady?" her voice was sweet but ratted.

"I-I, um…"

I stared at her dumbfounded. What am I doing looking for a mysterious voice that I probably made up_? Red you need more sleep. _I was about to walk away when I heard the voice, much clearer than before like it was in front of me.

_Look down_

That's when I saw it. A flute. An old wooden flute. The lady must have seen what I was looking at. "You can touch it if you like."

I bent down and picked it up. I looked closer and saw weird markings on it. I stared at the glove on my left hand. _It has the same mark. _It's a crescent moon made out of music notes and in the center is a weird Japanese rose. I looked at the flute again and noticed it has weird burn marks. _Was it in a fire_?

"It's was in a fire Avery long time ago."

I looked at her wide eyed. _It's like she read my mind. _

"It's broken." She stated.

_Broken_? I looked at it again. _It looks perfectly fine_. "What do you mean broken?"

She smiled at me and spoke in a voice that made her sound young. "That flute doesn't play a single tune."

I blinked. "Really?"

"Try it if you don't believe me." She said in a calm manner while pulling her grey hairs back.

I looked at the flute in my hands and began to lift it to my mouth. _This is absurd_. I was about to blow into it when loud sirens started blaring in the background. Turning around, I see people running down the street shouting 'Fire! Fire, down town!'

Glancing back at the lady, I hand her the flute but she put her hands up in a stop motion. "Keep it; it won't do me much good."

I stared at the flute before looking at the older lady. "Um, thanks?" I put it in my satchel and started running down the street.

Half way down the road I swore I heard her say, "Good luck little lady, you will need it."

** xxx**

I was half way there and I could already see the fire. I pushed through the crowd of people that was starting to form, saying ''scuse me' or 'sorry' each time I bumped into someone .

The sun's finally gone and the sky turned dark making the building look like a giant night light. The fire is pretty strong that the water doesn't seem to be affecting it. The crowd of people surrounding the building started getting worried. The fire department doesn't seem to be doing that great a job...

Moving ahead of the crowd I was able to catch a glimpse at some of rescued people. Their clothes were burnt and charred and ash smudged across some of their faces._ It's just like before._

A scream broke me out of my thoughts. "No! Let me go!"

Looking over, I noticed a lady being held back by two fire fighters. Tears stained her pale face. "My kids! There still in there! Let me go!" she struggled against the fire fighters, trying to get out of there grip. "Sorry ma' am, the fires to intense, no one can go in."

_Fire fighters, they're useless. _I looked back at the building and noticed that one of the windows is open. _Maybe I can- no! What am I thinking I can't go in there, in a burning that's falling apart-, _what I remembered gave me the final push I needed. _Someone help me! _

_Ah! screw it! _I looked back at the burning building one last time before racing toward it. _I can't let the same thing happen to them!_

I raced past scattered fire fighters so fast that they couldn't register what happened. One of them shouted, "HEY WAIT!" but by then I already jumped through the window.

I rolled on the floor and jumped up. The fire was everywhere, eating the walls and destroying the ceiling. I grabbed my cap from the floor and put it against my nose an race up the stairs.

The smoke is strong and it's starting to fog my vision. The hallway is pretty long and most of the doors are left open or locked. _There are too many rooms to check_. I look and see the flames growing bigger. "HEY! IS ANYONE IN HERE?!"

No reply.

_Maybe they can't hear me._ I can barely here myself think with all this debris falling. That's when I hear it again, that voice.

_Play me~ _

I looked at my satchel and remember the flute. _That could work!_ I immediately took it out and blew into in. at first nothing happened. Maybe the old lady was right. But then my left hand felt warm and that's when I heard it.

_Toooooooooooooooot~_

I still heard no reply. Maybe the lady was wrong, no one's in her-"HELLO!? SOMEONE OUT THERE?!"

I looked ahead and raced to one of the doors. I shook the knob. _Locked._

"PLEASE HELP US!"

_I hate doors._ I kicked the door open and raced in the room. I used my cap to move the smoke away and looked around. _Small apartment, looks like I'm in the living room. _I move towards one of the rooms and turned the knob. Luckily it wasn't locked.

I move past the bunk beds and looked in the closet. Two kids are huddled on the floor with blankets on them. I put the cap on my head an stick out my hand. "Let's get you out of here."

They looked at each other before the boy, probably the older one, took my hand and grabbed his sister. We raced out of the room and tried to find the stairs. The fire wasn't dying down and most of the floor has broken down.

I could see the stairs. _Only a few more feet…_

_CREAK!_

I looked up and saw the ceiling ahead of us about to fall down. _If that thing falls it'll block the stairs! _I run fast but it doesn't seem like we'll make it in time.

_Dame it!_

I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed the two kids an throw them ahead of me just before the ceiling fell.

The burning wood blocks the hall way but I can see the kids made it to the other side safely. They both look at me wide eyed. The boy races to the wood an tries to move it.

"NO!" I yelled. "KEEP GOING, I'LL FIND ANOTHER WAY OUT!"

The boy looked at me before nodding him head and grabbing his sister, leading her down the stairs.

_Great their fine… but what about me? _I back track an try to find another exit.

Trying to dodge falling debris, I raced to find an exit. I had to keep moving or else the floor would break under me. I coughed; _the smoke is getting to my lungs._ Even though my vision started fading I had to find a way out.

CREAK!

The ceiling above me caved in. I soon found myself trapped and running out of time . . . and air! _I need to breathe! _My vision started fading once again._ I can't die here. _I kept on chanting in my head. _I still need to complete my goal, my dream._

I fall to the floor, suddenly weak by the lack of oxygen. I could feel the heat and the floor board starts to creak. I try to get back up but can't find the strength. I started blacking out when I suddenly hear a sweet voice.

"So you're _her_~"

I look up and try to see whose talking but with all this smoke all I see is something white. A big white blob.

CREAK!

The floor board is starting to move underneath me. It can't take the pressure

"Don't worry, you can't die just yet _little lady_."

_Little lady? _It moves closer to me but I still can't make it out. It's a person… I think. Defiantly female. Her voice is so soothing that I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open. The creaking sound gets louder. I look down and can see the floor about to break under me.

"Looks like you're going out the same way you came into this world, with flames."

I look at her wide eye. _How did she- _that's when my vision started swirling and I collapsed on the floor, coughing.

"Your time still not up, after all what type of _protector_ would I be if I let you die now."

I look at it one last time before the floor gave way and I started falling. As I fell I felt the world start to spin and my hand started heating up. I looked up and saw the world turn white.

The last thing I heard was, "meet you back_ home~"_

Then I was swallowed up by the light.

* * *

**red: that was, by far, the most interesting day I had IN A LONG TIME.**

**oh, you haven't seen anything yet.**

**red: what does that mean?**

**oh, you'll see.**

**red: . . .okay, don't forget to review!**


	2. run away fugitive

**Okay, _try_ to have an open mind for this chapter. **

**Red: why? whats going to happen.**

**Oh, nothing you can't handle. *laughs in the corner***

**Red: *sweat-drop* Okay, anyway miss nobody does not own one piece all rights belong to Oda.**

**On with the show!**

* * *

_"Slow down. Stay calm. The waves _will _pass."_

_-Israel Smith_

Chapter 2. Run away Fugitive

At first, everything was dark. There was no light at all, just darkness. It felt as if I was floating in an empty space. It was so cold like icy water. I opened my mouth to talk but no words would come out and moving was next to impossible. It felt like my body was trapped in jell-o.

The darkness felt alive. Slowly, it coiled around me, like it was a giant snake, trying to swallow me whole. The coldness surround my body and slowly, started to squeeze me. I tried to fight it but my movements were restricted.

A shimmer of light appeared in the dark abyss. It was expanding as it slithered through the darkness. They moved through the darkness like they were searching for something. I was able to move more freely as the darkness was fighting of the light. They danced around each other until the light made contact with me. I was blinded for a moment as various colors emerged from the light, each one shot into my body.

Red was first. The moment it hit my chest a strange warm sensation spread from my head to my toes. Then a voice echoed in my head. "Perhaps it is time for _you_ to spread your wings and fly."

With each new color that hit me I felt a different sensation and kept hearing different voices.

Next was orange. It was a weird fluttering, exciting sensation. "If you want somethin' you never had, you have to do somethin' you never done."

Then came yellow. It was a sweet yet bitter feeling. "We are free to feel our own feelings and make our own choices."

Green was a weird feeling; it felt calm yet bold. "Life is like a painting, you only get one canvas."

Blue followed soon after. It made me feel relaxed and calm. "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."

Each color that hit me freed me from the darkness an made me feel warm again.

Indigo brought a pleasant feeling, it was soothing but daring. "Life's not about anger, it's about peace."

Violet was the last one, it was a hopeful feeling that gave me courage. "Your spirit is strong and noble; wear it like a crown of glory."

After the last color hit me, I felt a intense ripple of power go through my body, causing me to instantly curl up from the pressure. It felt strong enough to shatter my bones. My body was shaking as I was trying to keep it in.

The pressure was too intense that the feeling force me to uncoil my body and it erupted from me in a flash of white light, taking me with it.

**xxx**

I woke up gasping for air, trying to remember what just happened. Was it just a dream? I hissed in pain as I tried to move, my body still ached from the fire. Stinging sensation of burn marks made me clench my teeth in pain and my hazy vision wasn't helping either. My body shifted as I try to rub my eyes, but instead I heard a soft clink sound and found that my hands are tied behind my back by shackles.

...?

"Oi! It looks like she woke up."

"At least we have her behind bars; she can't do any more damage now."

My vision is still swirling but I can see that I'm in a cell. A small prison cell. I look forward to where the voice came from and saw a man but the sudden erupting pain in my head caused me to look down again. I look up, slowly this time, at the man guarding my cell. He's wearing black boots and dark blue trousers but his back is turned to me so all I see is a white short-sleeved shirt with a blue seagull. There seems to be words underneath the seagull but my eyes couldn't focus enough to read them so I kept moving up and saw black hair and a white baseball cap. I could slightly see something blue around his neck. Turning my head, I saw another man on the opposite side of the cell with the same attire. What's with the weird getup.

... Actually, now that I think 'bout it, what am _I_ wearing? My gaze shifted to the deep, red cloak I was apparently wearing with the hood down. Now that I think about it, I feel something covering my eyes; like a mask. My normal clothes were still on but I was missing my satchel. A sigh escaped my lips as my head tilted up, trying to focus on the mysterious man in front of me.

My eyes widened in shock as my vision finally focused enough to be able to read the words under the seagull.

"_Marine_."

...

NO FREAKIN' WAY!

There's no way that this is real, though this does feels pretty real but I can't be here… can I?

Everything's fine, just breathe an analyze.

After exhaling a few times, I let the situation sink in.

Okay. I'm in a prison cell, probably underground by the looks of it, with my hands bounded with shackles behind my back, _while,_ wearing a weird costume **and,** I have two marines watching me.

...

What the hell happened?

I started hyper ventilating so I tried to calm down, panicking won't help with the situation. Okay, first things first, how did I get here and what the hell happened?

...Well sitting here wouldn't do me any good. Might as well ask.

Relaxing, I stared at the raven haired marine. '_Here goes nothin_''

"Why am I here?" I asked the marine.

"Oh, trying to play dumb are we." He replied with a sneer. Oh, so he's one of _those. _This might be harder than I thought.

"I did nothing wrong." I replied with a blank face.

The other man replied with laughter in his voice. "Yeah, terrorizing and burning islands on the west blue is _nothin'_."

West blue. Islands. Marines.

Shit, I am in One Piece! How the hell did I get here- _"meet you back _home_~" _Now I remember. Someone sent me here, but why?

All those days trying to figure out who I was. The doctors said I had amnesia and thought my family died in the fire. I wonder. Does that girl know something that I don't?

The man's gruff voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"The only reason we were able to get you was because of the tip we got."

I looked up. Tip? "What tip?"

The man chuckled and turned his head towards me. "Someone told us they saw you go in the woods after you burned down part of the town."

"When we found you, you were unconscious and had burn marks all over your body." The other man continued. "But we knew it was you because of the crimson hood you have on."

Crimson?

The soft, _crimson_, fabric rubbed against my skin, making me silently hiss in pain as it came to close the the burned skin. What does this cloak have to do with anythin'? and why did it smell like.. _metal?_

"Is it true?"

I lazily glanced back at the marine with a questioning look. He looked back and continued. "We heard your cloak is covered with the blood of your victims, is it true?"

Choosing to stay silent, I processed what he just said. Blood?

Not hearing an answer, the marine turned back to his original position; half disappointing that he didn't find out if the rumor was true or not.

What type of person would cover their clothes in their victim's blood? Argghhh! I can figure this out later, right now I have to get out of here. The marines here are all 'baka!' I felt a pain shot through my head and my eyes started to burn when I 'said' the word baka.

"Oi! What did you just call me?!"

"I didn't say anything you baka?!"

The two men's roaring voices caused me to look up in shock. What the hell?

"You just called me a baka you baka!"

"I only called you a baka because you blamed me for the voices you hear in your head!"

. . . Did I do that? Did he hear my thoughts? Ugh. This isn't the time to think about that I have to find a way out- wait! I looked closely at one of the guards and saw keys jiggling on the side of his belt.

A smirk quickly grew on my face as I thought of plan forming in my head. _Fool the mind and the battle is yours_. I tried doing the same thing again to keep the fight going. 'You're nothing more than a coward!' the same pain shot through my head and my eyes started to burn again.

It must have worked because the other man started fighting him saying 'I'm not a coward you baka!' they started pushing and punching each other and right when they pushed each other into the bars the keys fell off the man's belt. It landed in front of me with a clink! The men were too busy fighting to notice so I try to move forward to get them but the shackles restricted my movements.

Damn it! I'm so close but I can't reach! I wish the keys would just** MOVE!** I felt something click in my mind and the keys started to move toward me.

Wha-? The feeling started to go away and the keys stopped moving. Crap! I need those keys. I tried to focus into making the keys move and felt the same thing click and the keys started moving again.

Now, I know this isn't normal but right now I want-NO! I need to get out of here. Besides nothing is 'normal' in one piece. It's simple anime logic here.

The men were still fighting and the keys were in reach when I heard what I think was the door open and footsteps heading this way. My eyes widened and I grabbed the keys before another marine came.

He looked at the marines fighting on the floor and pulled them apart. "Oi! Stop fighting I'm here to take over your shift." The two men started grumbling before walking away.

He looked at me warily before turning to his post. He's rather skinny, not as buff as the other two men. He's probably a rookie.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the keys tighter, trying to form a plan to get me out of this predicament. I have the keys and I can probably take him on but if he calls for backup I won't be able to take them all on and I'll be captured again. So, I need to distract him long enough to get out of these shackles and knock him out.

Sensing eyes on me, I look up at the marine as he quickly tenses up and looks away. The rumors were getting to him. When the other marines talked about her, he didn't see what the big deal was. Yeah, 'she' annihilate multiply Islands _mainly _in the west blue; but she was caught and behind bars now. Bars that he was guarding. Alone.

A wicked smile painted my face. Maybe I can scare him. Closing my eyes, I tried to focusing on the lights, trying to make them turn off. Suddenly, my eyes started to burned but I didn't feel any pain. Actually I was enjoying this feeling, it came to me almost like a second nature.

It must have been working because I could hear the man start to breath faster and panic. "O-oi, what's happening?" Beads of sweat fell down my face as I tried to focus harder. Suddenly, I heard a yelp and when I opened my eyes the light was off and I can hear the man have a panic attack.

Marine are such fraidy cats.

I quickly unlock my shackles and hit the marine behind the head through the bars. The lights turned back on as I was unlocking the cell door. It opened just as the marine was getting back up, but before he could stand up I made sure to him on a pressure point and with a grunt of pain, he was officially knocked unconscious. I dragged him into the cell and locked the door to make sure he wouldn't get the other marines when he woke up.

Now I need to find a way out of here.

And with that I opened the door and raced through.

**xxx**

I've been running through this base for who knows how long and I have no idea on how to get out. I constantly had to keep changing direction so I don't running into any marines.

Plus, I also have no idea what happened to my satchel. Did they take it when they found me- "Oi! I think I hear something."

Shit!

I quickly open the nearest door and got in, hoping they didn't see me. My ear pressed against the door to hear footsteps quickly pass by the door. Releasing a breathe of relief, I scanned the room I was in.

Random items were scattered around the large room, collected in uneven stacks all around the floor. Things like weapons, books, chests, and a few jolly Rogers here and there caught my attention. This must be where they keep the prisoner's things. My eyes widened in shock, my satchel can be in here!

Moving through the rubble of pirate things, I started searching for my satchel, trying not to get distracted by a few interesting items that popped up. Eventually I find it in a stack of other bags and pouches. When I pull it out the stack every topples over making a loud thud! sound.

When I looked down something shiny caught my eye. I moved a few more items out of the way and picked up an old hand mirror. It looked...weird. The handle was a girl standing straight holding the mirror, from her back are two wings that surround the mirror, one black the other white.

Seeing my reflection in the mirror made me silently gasp. A red and black domino mask cover my eyes and messy black heir sticks out from under the crimson hood.

. . . Man I look like a criminal.

"Oi! I heard the sound come from in here!"

Crap! They must have heard the stack fall. As the door creaks open I stuff the mirror in my satchel and reach for the closest thing which is a steel bar and hide among-st the rubble. Their loud footsteps drew closer as my gloved hand tightly gripped the bar.

"Are you sure the sound came from in hear?" The second marine asked, stopping in front of my hiding place. Okay Red, it's now or never. Before the other man could reply I jumped and knocking him out. The second marine quickly unleashed his sword and slashed up only to meet air.

He gritted his teeth in annoyance as he scans the room, looking for any clues as to where I am. Thinking I have the element of surprise, I quickly jump out to attack his unguarded back only to have him duck.

Fuck.

I quickly blocked his attack with the bar, letting them hit with a screeching clang. We continued to block each others attacks, but with him _actually_ having a real weapon, he was able to graze me a few times. Blocking another attack, my grip altered and I slightly twisted the bar making a strange click sound come out of it. Suddenly, the bar grew longer and curved blades came out from each end. The marine's eyes widened in shock and a smirk grew on my face as I lunged for him again. After a few more attacks and blocks I successfully knocked his sword out of his hand and hit him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.

The newly transformed bar turned out to be a black, double bladed scythe.

Oh, I'm so keeping this.

"Oi! It came from over there!"

Great, just what I need.

I raced out of the room and down the hallway, looking for anyway out of this maze. Eventually, I reach a window and looked out to see that I'm a little high up. Probably three stories. How the hell did I get this high up, I was in an underground prison! The glowing moon light illuminated the wall surrounding the base, and beyond the wall lied an overgrown forest. If I can just get out of here-

"I think it went this way!"

Shadows of the marines were coming closer to me as I quickly turn around and try to get out through the other end, only to stop when more marine footsteps are coming from there too.

Shit! I'm cornered.

Backing up a few steps, I quickly run into the window, letting my eye wander to the stone wall encasing the base. Looks like the only way out is down. Taking a deep breath, I back away from the window, preparing for the jump. My mind wandered to the wall and the forest on the other side of it. If only I can get across. breathing out a shaky breathe, I start running. My heart starts racing a hundred miles a second.

The glass shatters as I leap out the window, letting the cool night touch my aching body. A strange energy starts pulse through my body and the air around me starts vibrating. In a flas I found myself in the forest. In shock, I turn around and see the wall surrounding the base a few yards behind.

How did I-? Suddenly, a shock runs through my body as I fall to the floor in pain. My hands grabs my throbbing head as I moaned in agony. It feels like I ran a five mile marathon through a blizzard and then got struck by lightning.

I got to keep moving, I'm still too close to their base, if the catch me-. A familiar voice interrupts my thoughts.

"I found you! ~"

My vision starts swirling so when I look up all I see is a figure in a dress. She comes closer to me and bends down to touch my head but I flinch and try to back away but my body won't listen to me so I'm forced to stay on the ground.

"It looks like you remember more than I though." She said smiling. Her small hand touches my head as I suddenly began to feel tired and my eyes become more heavy with every blink.

"Rest, your safe now." her voice was so sweet that the next thing I knew, I've drifted into a soundless sleep.

* * *

**. . . **

**Red: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME!**

**Nothing you can't handle.**

**Red: I WOKE UP IN JAIL!**

**So? this isn't the first time it happened.**

**red: T-that's not the point! I was framed! You framed me!**

**Don't worry everything will be explained next chapter, you just have to have an open mind.**

**Red: Well at least I got this* pulls out double bladed scythe***

**O-oi! what are you doing?**

**Red: let's play a game. *evil glint in eyes***

**That's all for now, don't forget to review! *runs***


	3. old lady

**okay, I just wanted to say that I may not update for a while because I'm going on a rode trip to visit my sister.**

**Red: yeah whatever, anyways miss N does not own one piece.**

**on with the story!**

* * *

_"You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding like it should."_

_-Max Ehrmann_

Ch. 3 Old lady

_"Hey Po?" I asked the boy that sat beside me._

_"Yeah?"_

_"Why are we here?" he gave me a side glance before looking back at the lake._

_"What do you mean?" he asked, throwing a rock at the lake._

_"Well . . . is it destiny, has life planned out everything for us? I mean for all we know we're just a part of some big plan?" I clarified sitting straighter against the willow tree. Po turned to me, his blue hair bellowed around over his sweat band from the breeze, and gave me an ear to ear grin. "No one knows that, not even me!"_

_I tilted my head like a curious puppy, causing him to smile. "As you go through life you'll see that there is so much that we don't understand and the only thing we know is that things don't always go the way we plan, that's why we should live life with no regret."_

_He chucked another pebble into the lake, "Besides, why worry about life? No one get out of it alive."_

_I smiled and looked back at the rippling water as Po continued to throw rocks._

_"Ya know, people say that universe knows everything." I said, pushing my white hair behind my ear._

_"Oh yeah?"_

_"Yea, it knows everything that's going to happen, past, present, and future."_

_Po scoffed. "If the universe knows so much why doesn't it help us?" I pouted. "It __does__!" that made him turn around, "It gives signs to help us on the right path, it's only if we choose to hear it will it help us."I stated as I folded my arms. Po blinked at me before he burst into uncontrollable laughter. _

_My face burned up as he continued laughing. "You're a.. weird.. girl!" he managed to say in-between laughs. My hands balled into fists as I stood up. "It's not funny!" I lost my balanced and started falling into the lake. Po stood up and reached for my hand._

_"R-"_

My face landed hard on the floor.

"...Ow" Just my typical morning wake up call.

"How come I always wake up face first on the floor?" I mumbled out loud.

"Because your weird like that~"

Not expecting an answer, I stared wide eyed at the stranger. Standing in front of me was a smiling girl, her blonde hair was braided to the side and her hands were behind her back. Big blue eyes were looking straight at me.

Sitting up, my mouth gaped open, not knowing what to say in this situation, I continued to stare at the girl. We were like this for a while till she finally understood that I wasn't going to say anything so she reached out her hand. "Come on, you must be starving since you were asleep for three days." I looked at her hand wearily before taking it and letting her pull me up.

"Put on some shoes and meet me in the kitchen, the food's almost ready." She said before walking out the door.

My eyes blinked a few times, trying to understand what just happened**. **

**Gurgle.**

My hand patted my stomach_. Food now, think later. _I slipped on my boots and walk out the door.

* * *

The smell of food lingered in the kitchen as I walked in. The girl was found cooking something on the stove; despite her young appearance she seems a little older than me. She glances at me, finally noticing my presence, "Sit down, the food's just about done."

I walked to the table and sat down. Glancing back to the lady, who looks awfully familiar, _who is she?_ I tried remembering what happened before I woke up but my memories are a little foggy. Something about running? Oh well, it'll come back to me eventually.

A plate of food was placed in front of me. "Eat up, _little lady." _I started eating the food while trying to figure out where I heard that name before_. Little lady?_ It sounded so familiar. While I ate I glanced at the lady every once in a while as she washed the pots. Wait, I got it! "The old lady!"

I heard a light chuckle and I looked at the girl. "So you do remember?" it wasn't a question, it was a statement. My eyes widened as the memories of the past few days came back to me. "Everything was real," I whispered. " the flute, the old lady, the fire?"

"Yep."

I looked down at my empty plate, "Even the _marines_?" the lady looked at me with concerned eyes. "Everything was real."

I was in shock as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "I'm in One Piece." She walked up to me and took my plate. "That's right, oh and by the way my name is Evelyn not old lady, but you can call me Eve."

Groaning, I banged my head on the table which resulted in me hissing in pain. Instantly, my hand reached for my cap only to touch thin air_. Where's my cap? _Wait- I looked around, _where's my satchel?_

"Your bag's in the chair next to you." Eve stated while giggling as she watched me frantically look around the room. I glared at Eve before checking the chair. My satchel was their and had the weird bar sticking out of it. Opening the satchel, I searching for my cap. _Let's_ _see, knife, mirror, water, writing utensils, journal- aha!_ I pulled out the cap and place it on my head. I was about to close the bag when something red caught my eye. Curious, I pulled it out. It was the crimson hood. My eyes landed on the pole as I remembered that it could change into a scythe.

Eve places a colorful flower vase on the table. "You were wearing that when I found you." She started rearranging the flowers, "Looks like someone found you before I did." Touching the cloak, I remembered what the man said about its color.

"You brought me here." I stated

"No, the flute did." she countered.

"But you gave me the flute."

"Returned."

I looked at her confused, "What d'you mean 'returned'?"

Her dainty hands fiddled with the flowers before smiling at me. "It **belongs** to _you_."

I touched my chin trying to remember if I ever owned a flute_. I don't even know how to play. _She smiled, amused by my confusion. "Tell me, what do you remember about your past?"

"I don't remember much, I had amnesia as a child." I explained as I looked through my satchel, trying to find something. "I do have dreams about people and places I never seen." _That's weird I can't find it_.

"Are you looking for this?"

I stopped and looked; in her hands was my dream journal, "It fell out of your bag when I got you." She placed it in front of me as I put the wooden flute on the table. I started skimmed through the pages, trying to find a certain page. Most of the pages were worn down around the edges. Curiously, Eve looked over my shoulder, her gaze was intense as she studied the journal.

"Looks like you remember more than I thought." She muttered to herself, but my ears picked it up.

Finally, I stopped at one of the older pages. An old pencil drawing of a flute covered the page and, beneath it, was a sloppy handwriting. My eyes darted from the paper to the flute, silently comparing them. "Their exactly the same." I concluded.

Eve looked closer at the picture, "Except for the burn marks." She pointed out, making me take a second glance. She was right, that's the only difference.

"What does this mean?" I asked, eyeing her for a moment. She looked at me and smiled, but this smile was an I-know-something–you-don't type of smile. "Your memories are coming back," she pointed the cloak and the flute, "and this is only the beginning."

Well shit.

_What did I get myself into?_

* * *

**Red: you can't end it like that!**

**I was going to add more but I was a bit busy packing and everything.**

**Red: you and your excuses.**

**I'm a little dishearten that no one reviews so I don't know if you guys like this or not.**

**Red: who cares what they think, I just want to know what happens next.**

**Eve: hi everybody~!**

**Red: How did you get here!**

**Eve: *giggle* The door was open.**

**Oops, well till next time.**

**Eve: don't forget to review, it would mean the world to me if you do.**

**Red: Just who are you anyway?**

**bye~**


	4. UNKNOWN

**I do not own One Piece**

* * *

_"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."_

_-Mother Teresa_

* * *

**UNKNOWN 1**

A young girl with long purple hair approached the screen. "You summoned me, my lord."

"Yes." a strong male voice responded."It appears that the _flower_ is blooming."

"The flower, she's returned?"

"We must annihilate all threats and destroy her before she realizes her true potential."

"What about Thern, can't she do it."

"She already started the plan, you have to continue it."

"I will not fail you, my lord."

* * *

**UNKNOWN 2**

A cool breeze filled the air on the mountainous terrain as a lone figure sat on the edge of the cliff. The orange sky marking the end of the day, spreads over the island and the sea.

The figure pulls out a locket and takes out a paper from within it. He places the piece of paper on the palm of his hand and, after a moment, it starts to move in the direction of the vast open sea.

He chuckles,"Looks like your finally home, Ro." the wind gently ruffling his blue hair as he stares off into the distance.

The silver locket sparkles on the ground. The picture in the locket was old and torn around the edges, though the smiling face of a young girl made it look like it was taken yesterday.

* * *

**UNKNOWN 3**

The man placed down his soon-to-be empty mug of sake as he watches the sun set. Suddenly, he pulls out a medieval star pendant and watches as the dark blue crystal in the center starts to glow.

He smirks as he places the five pointed star pendant on the ground in front of him.

"Looks like death can't even stop you, my little wild flower." He smirks as he gulped down the last of his sake. the sun is gone and the moon takes its place, lighting the night sky.

The pendant shined in the darkness of the night, resembling the stars in the night sky.


	5. What now?

**I'm still alive! sorry for the late post, I had homework and a project to due. I OFFICIALLY _HATE_ SCHOOL!**

**Red: Well, if you didn't do things at the last minute, this probably wouldn't have happened.**

**-_-' yeah... Anyways~ On with the show!**

**I do not own One Piece.**

* * *

_"Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand."_

_-Neil Armstrong_

Chapter 4. What now?

By the glow of the large yellow moon, I crept along the tree branch, breathing softly. From my high vantage, I could see my prey.

The deer lowered its head to nibble at the grass. It was young and alone. The warm, humid air carried the rich smell of the forest foliage, mingled with the salty tang of the sea.

The tensions departed from my muscles, leaving me relaxed and limber. My balance steadied as I concentrated on the night sounds of the island – creatures' scurrying, the call of a bird, and waves crashing near the cliff side.

A swirling breeze stirred the air.

Suddenly, the deer whipped its head toward the trees, staring directly at me and bolted. I jumped down and run after her, not really giving a chase but not really losing her. I'm running because I can, because it's fun, because it's real, because it's the only thing that makes me feel alive.

I followed the deer into the ferny shadow world of tall trees with enormous leaves. After being here for a while I got used to the lush vegetation, the vines and creeps, and to all the trees that are crowded together.

The rustling of shrubs and the cries of birds did little to disturb me. I kept after the deer as my legs moved through the rooted forest floor.

Time goes by fast here. Three weeks ago, Eve convinced me that this world is my home and that I'm needed here but she wouldn't elaborate. She wanted me to figure it out on my own. Her answer kept echoing in my head.

_"I can't tell you everything, little lady. There are somethings you must find out on your own."_

The deer is zigzagging and making sharp turns in the dense forest, desperately trying to lose me. I'm not going to attack it I just don't want to lose it. Besides, I need a bit of practice. My speed increased as I leaped and kicked the bark of the tree to increase my momentum. Every now and then I would do the same thing, run, leap, kick, and land so I wouldn't lose the deer or speed. It sort of felt like flying, being half on the ground and half in the air.

No matter how fast I run it feels like life is leaving me behind.

The deer goes deeper into the forest, blending into the shadows of the terrain.

The only reason I'm doing this is 'cause what Eve said earlier...

**Earlier that day...**

The sun was high in the sky as I waited outside for Eve to begin training. That was the routine for the past few weeks; I would wake up, eat breakfast and train with Eve till diner. She would show me how to use the double-bladed scythe properly. Though I sorta know how to use it already. It's like a long black staff with two sharp curve edges. She would also show me how to fight with my hands, if I lose my scythe.

I sighed as the cool breeze blew through my shoulder length hair. Everything was so great so serene, but there was this nagging feeling in the back of my head telling me something's wrong, that I'm forgetting something. I can barely remember anything from my past so I don't know what it is.

Looking up, I saw a pair of birds gracefully flying over the trees. In a moment the birds turned red and their tail feather turned a vibrant shade of purple as it sparkled in the sun. I blinked and the birds were gone. _W-what? _That looked so familiar. Shifting on the rock I was sitting on, I brought my knees closer to my chest, hugging them with my arms. "When will I remember?" I muttered loudly.

"It will happen when it happens."

The grass crunching underneath Eve's footsteps as she walked slowly towards me.

"Yea, but when?" I mumbled, my head buried in my knees.

She laughed before touching my shoulder, making me flinched a little before relaxing.

"You haven't changed a bit," she ruffled my hair. "always so impatient." she giggled as I smacked her hand away. Now she was treating me like a child, even though she's the kid.

She sighed. "If your so impatient, then maybe you should try the 'other' way."

Now this got my attention. My head shot up, making sure she wasn't lying to me."_Other_ way? there's another way?"

"Yes"

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"'Cause you didn't ask." She said innocently

My eye twitched in annoyance."SERIOUSLY?!"

"Yup!" Eve started giggling uncontrollably, which made my eye twitch more. _How did I survive with her as my guardian..._

"Well what is it!?" I snapped at her constant giggling, letting a tick mark form on my head. All this time and she didn't tell me! I could just punch her if she wasn't my guardian. This could be the answer to my problems! There's a way to remember-

"Have an adventure."

Silence. Awkward silence.

"I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. I thought you said 'have an adventure.'"

"Yeah. Have an adventure."

"...?"

She sweat-dropped."I'm gonna have to explain, aren't I."

I Nodding dumbly. She sighed and sat on the grass, letting her light yellow skirt cover her legs, while having her white top tucked in her skirt. Her gleaming golden hair was pulled back by a thin, black headband.

"Okay, the way you get your memories right now is when you have a dream, right?" She started.

Nod.

"Well, instead of waiting for your memories too come back you can go after them."

"..."

"_Oh-kay_, think about it like this, memories are linked to our five senses, sight, smell, hearing, touch, and my favorite, taste."

Nodding my head in understanding, she continued.

"These senses help us remember things even if we don't want to, like how the smell of cherrys can remind you of medicine." my nose wrinkled in disgust at the recall of that memory.

"So, yer saying that if I smell, see, hear, touch, or taste anything familiar it could trigger a memory?" I concluded, finally getting what she was trying to explain.

"Exactly," Eve gave me a satisfied smile, " and since your past happened in this world then-"

"There are things here that can trigger a memory!" I finished.

"Now you're getting it!" she giggled. "The more you experience the more you can remember."

"But where do I start?"

"Where all adventures start, the grand line!" She exclaimed enthusiastically.

An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I'm not really scared of the whole go to the 'pirate graveyard' thing, it's just that I don't know **HOW** I'm going to get there 'cause one; I can't navigate for the life of me, and two; I'm definitely **not** going to join a crew, being with the same people in a boat for I don't know how long, does not work with me. Nope. I'm going solo, but first...

"How do I get there?" I asked, "'cause in-case you haven't noticed, I can't navigate and I'm not that great with direction."

"Don't worry, I know a place where you can get a charted map of the grand-line!" she said in her cheery voice, but the mischievous glint in her eyes made me suspicious.

My face faltered as I remember what she told me before. "I thought you said I should stay here or else 'they'll' find me."

Her composer changed as she broke eye contact and started fiddling with her hair, "This place isn't that safe anymore," her eyes meet mine, full of worry and concern. "you've been here to long, 'they' might already know your here."

"So, your saying I have to go?" I frowned.

hesitantly, she responds. "If you want to keep 'them' off your trail you're gonna have to keep moving, never stay in one place for too long._ though your probably use to it..." _she mumbled the last part.

Subconsciously, I nod my head, understanding what Eve's getting at. I never stay in one place for to long or else I get too attached but, this...this all seemed to be happening so fast that I don't think I can keep up. Am I really ready for all of this? What if I'm not strong enough? What if 'they' catch me?

"You know, if you want too keep training we can always go somewhere..._safer_ and train there." I watched her as she started playing with a blade of grass. How did she- Right. I almost forgot we have this weird 'connection'. She must have sensed the doubt in my mind.

"but what if-"

"As long as we keep moving 'they' won't find us." she replied.

"...I have to think about it."

"If you want, we can cancel today's lesson-"

"No, it's fine." I objected. Before she could stop me I stood up and dusted my jeans. "I think it might help to clear my mind, y'know, relax." her light blue eyes never left mine as I walked over to her and extended my hand to help her up. A chuckle left her mouth as she smiled. "Only you would think training is relaxing." she retorted while graciously taking my hand. After I pulled her up, we started toward the training grounds, completely forgetting our previous conversation. Still. One thought ran through my mind.

Should I leave?

**Present...**

It's official. I lost the deer. I sighed, still frustrated from the situation I'm in. The chase did help get some adrenaline out of my veins, but I still have a decision to make; go and try to remember or go with Eve and keep training. Though, I know it's good to train and get stronger I can't help but feel bored. Living on the streets, you learn most of the things you have to know to survive. You have to eat and keep moving to stay alive, don't trust anybody and I mean _anybody._ These are the basics, If I didn't know this I would have been dead a long time ago.

Walking out of the shadowy overgrown garden, I realized how steep the walk really was as I looked at the dead end ahead of me. Some how, I made it to the cliff that over looked the ocean. _I must have ran really far if I made it over here..._

Sitting down, I let my legs dangle of the edge of the cliff. The waves crashing below into the rocky bottom, making a hard slap sound as it hit the cliff's natural wall. I close my eyes and breath in and out, trying to calm down from the work out. Opening my eyes, I noticed how bright the moon really was and how the stars shined in the shadowy night sky. Taking off my red cap, I undid my messy bun and ran my fingers through my raven black hair. My hand instinctively found the white slit of hair on my right side. I still wonder how that got there...

Sighing, I try to focus at the question at hand; go solo or stay with Eve.

Though, when ever I think about leaving, I always remember the conversation me and Eve had the first day we met...

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

_ "What are you talking about?"I asked. Everything was too confusing and it was bugging me how this girl, who I know nothing about, knows all this stuff about me that I don't even know._

_"This, "- she touched the journal-"is your past... Well part of it." She claimed. I looked at the journal and glanced back at her. She had her arms folded on her chest as she was mumbling to herself. How does she know all this? Just who is she? flipping through some of the pages , I listen to her talk to herself. "… a traumatic event can cause your brain to block memories to protect you, so she probably has temporary amnesia since she can still remember a few things like that her name is …" my eyes widened in shock as I heard her say my name, a name that I NEVER told anybody, not even my closest friends._

_Shooting__ up from my seat, I grabbed the pole and quickly turned it into the scythe and pointed it at her. She turned, causing her short purple dress to swayed a little "I never told anyone my name, no one," I started, my cap shadowing my eyes, "You have five seconds to tell me how you know all this before I start swinging." I threatened. Eve turned to me and casually put one hand on her hip. _

_"You wouldn't kill me." she replied coolly. My grip on the staff increase, "You can be surprise what you can live through. __**One**__." I growled as I glared at her._

_"Besides a mere __**human**__ weapon can't kill me, none the less hurt Me." Eve-san stated._

_"__**Two**__." With each second I'm getting angrier and impatient._

_"I could probably kill you before you kill me."_

_"__**Three**__."_

_"But then what type of protector would I be if I hurt the person I'm meant to protect."_

_"__**Four**__."_

_She sighed. "Fine I'll tell you as long as you put down your weapon." She said as she put her hands up in defeat. I relax as she stuck out her hand, silently asking for the weapon. "Catch." I said as the scythe flew in the air, Changing back into a staff before she caught it._

_Folding my arms, I sat back down at the table as Eve-san sat across from me, the staff still in her hand. "How did you know my name?" I asked in a low tone. _

_"I'm your protector I'm supposed to know this things." she said like it's the most obvious thing in the world. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, "Protector?"I asked while fiddling with the cloak, the soft fabric felt nice in my fingers. "Y' know; protector." _

_A question mark appeared above my head as I looked at her with confused eyes. She sighed and sweat-dropped at the action._

_ "Keeper?" _

_"…"_

_ "Divine messenger?"_

_"…"_

_"Do I have to spell it out!?"_

_I nodded my head._

_Eve huffed, "Fine, I'm your __guardian angel__!"_

_"...Huh?"_

_Eve threw her hands up in surrender and exasperation. "I give up; even I'm not __**this**__ dense." She said as she stood up and walked into the kitchen. I stared at the space in front of me as I processed what she just said. Guardian… angel?_

_"...WHAT!?" I shouted in shock as I shot up as fast as lighting, knocking the chair back. Eve clapped slowly, "Wow she finally figured it out and it only took five minutes, bravo." She said in a mocking tone. My eyebrow twitched in annoyance. does she have to mock me?! I count to three and breathed before assaulting her with questions, only to have her answer them before I finish asking._

_"So your-"_

_"Yup."_

_"And there's-"_

_"Yes."_

_"...There's actually a man in charge?"_

_"The chairman."_

_"What?"I asked. Eve put the kettle down before looking at me. "We call him/her the chairman or the man upstairs." she explained._

_"I would like to meet 'him' one day." It would be cool to meet the Alpha dog. I wonder if I can get his/hers autograph..._

_"You probably already have." WHAT?_

_"... I think I would remember meeting God."_

_"Everyone sees 'him' once in their life, you just don't realize it."_

_"How do I know if I meet 'him'." I asked curiously._

_She gave me a small smile. "You don't"_

_"...?"_

_"'He' could be a kid playing in the park or a woman selling fruit even an old man walking down the street. The truth is, nobody knows but 'him'. In the end everyone meets 'him' at least."_

_My mouth opened as I was going to question her when she stopped me._

_"I think we're getting off topic."_

_"yea..." I said, rubbing my neck sheepishly._

_Sitting back down at the table she gave me a cup of what I think is tea. I gave her a silent 'thanks' and blew on the hot beverage, thinking about everything that she told me._

_"Sooo~ Your basically my guardian angel." I said, trying to sum it up._

_"I prefer the term protector." she flashed me an innocent smile. "Its has a nice ring to it don't you think~"_

_I sweat-dropped. "Yea..." she's so old but she acts like a kid. _

_I frowned. Actually, I don't know how old she is or even how long she was with me for...How much did she see? How much does she know?_

_"Hey... Eve?"_

_"Mmhh?"_

_"Wer-were you always there with me?Y-you know...protecting?"_

_Putting down her tea cup, she looked at me with her all-knowing smirk."I was assigned to you when you were twelve and that was when you were, well, _here_."_

_"Yeah, what's with that? How can I be from here if I was over there?"_

_"It's kinda... complicated? It all happened 'cause of the promise, the promise-"_

_"To return." I finished, seriousness in my eyes. "I know."_

_She nodded before sipping her tea._

_"Can't you tell me anything else?" I requested, only to have her shake her head vigorously._

_"I already said too much." She frowned. "I'm not even suppose to talk to you, I was just suppose to see if you made it safely over here, but after you got captured by the marines... I couldn't leave you." Eve mumbled the last part, almost as if she was embarrassed to say that._

_"How did that happen? They said I destroyed islands on the west blue."_

_"..."_

_"...Eve?"_

_She didn't respond. Eve had her head hanging low, making her golden locks cover her eyes. Light tapping could be heard as she started tapping her tea cup, making the warm liquid rippled with the vibration._

_What's wrong? This isn't the innocent, happy go lucky girl I saw a few minutes ago._

_"Eve?" I asked, concern etched on my face._

_"...They know." The tapping stopped but she refused to look up._

_The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. She sounded so serious so..._worried_? Shit just got real._

_"Eve?" I asked, trying to make her look up. "Who knows?"_

_"...The 'others'." she whispered._

_Tears threatened too spill from her glossy, blue eyes,"You have to stay, it's safe here..." I stared at her emotion filled orbs as she spoke, her voice cracking a little. "It's to soon...you're not ready yet." determination flashed in her eyes, "I'll teach you how to get stronger so you can protect yourself from what's to come."_

_"Eve..." I didn't think she can get scared. Why is she so worried?_

_"Please," she pleaded, "you won't make it if you leave now, 'they' will find you and..." I hate seeing her like this. She looks like a nice kid and she is my guardian so I guess its okay to stay a while..._

_"Okay Eve-san." I flashed her a soft smile. "I'll stay 'til I'm ready."_

* * *

Over looking the starry filled ocean, I try to ignore the tight feeling I get in my chest when I remember that moment. _What does a guardian angle have to be afraid of? _Eve is a sweet little angle that can put up a good fight, so why does she have to be worried. After all I grew up in a harsh environment so I'm use to the cruel world. The cruel, beautiful world that people call reality.

Doubt always seems to find a way into my heart. This isn't the world I'm use too, here anything's possible. My past is a mystery and my future is undecided. I have no reason to worry for I know what's to come, I have the upper hand. Luffy hasn't started his journey yet, which means I can have a head start. but still

"..._there's more to the story than meets the eye." _What did Eve mean by that? This world is to confusing.

Cold, night breeze blows through my hair; giving me a new sense of relief. Everything will be fine, I just know it. Slowly I start humming to the tune of a familiar melody as shooting stars fly across the night sky.

**(A/N:beautiful cruel world)**

_There's a dream my heart just can't seem to leave behind_  
_Like a flower holding on for life, inside my mind_  
_Time and again, I push it away from me_  
_But it finds a way back in sleep_

_My beating heart drowns my thoughts away_  
_Tearing apart this dreamer's way_  
_But still I know deep inside my soul_  
_That I never can let it go_

_How can anybody live in a world that's so cruel and beautiful?_  
_Always asking why we're really here_  
_Losing all of our control to our fears_  
_Some of us are strong, some of us are weak, but still we seek..._  
_For a new day that can offer more_  
_Do we really know the world we're fighting for?_

Singing always seems to calm me down and clear my mind

_Up above the grey of the sky reflects my eyes_  
_All the air that sweeps around me seems to coldly sigh_  
_And to join us in our despair the heavens weep_  
_As we wait on eternal sleep_

_Try to escape from reality_  
_By searching for a fantasy_  
_But still I know that I have to go_  
_Can't hold on to a dream of home_

_How can anybody live in a world that's so cruel and beautiful?_  
_Always fighting to survive the day_  
_Giving all we have to keep death at bay_  
_Are we really here, is it really clear despite the fear?_  
_Should we fight on for the ugly truth?_  
_Or should we hide behind the lies of distant youth?_

I wish I see the world and all its wonder...what is this world really like?

_What if I could turn into a melody_  
_And traverse the world at the speed of sound?_  
_I'd go all the all the way around_  
_Like a song of hope profound_  
_For the ones who need answers to distant pleas_

_How can anybody live in a world that's so cruel and beautiful?_  
_Always asking why we're really here_  
_Losing all of our control to our fears_  
_Some of us are strong, some of us are weak, but still we seek..._  
_For a new day that can offer more_  
_Do we really know the world we're fighting for?_

.

.

Yup, everything will be fine...

* * *

Black feather blended in perfectly with the shadowy forest. Calmly, the raven fluttered tree to tree in search of the so called 'white flower'. If she messed up this time, they would not be forgiven.

-SNAP-

The raven turned her head, staring ahead with one round eye. She changed directions toward the lone human, silently landing on a branch. A girl walked through the forest ground, trying to avoid stray roots here and there. Yes; beady eyes stared at the teen, This has to be her. There seems to be no one else on this uninhabited island. Only a few strange animals here and there.

Suddenly, she stops and looks around curiously. Silently shuffling, the raven made its way into the shadows; not wanting to be spotted by the target. This girl had a keen perception, no wonder she survived for so long.

Shrugging her shoulders, she put a red cap on her messy black hair and continued walking; ignoring the nagging feeling that she was being watched. Round eyes never left the target as she walked deeper into the shadowy abyss.

Yes; the bird narrowed it's eyes as the variant walked past a group of wilted flowers only to have them come to life an bloom; this was _definitely_ the girl.

'They' must stop her before she figures out her true potential...

Tugging her leather jacket, she started humming a soft melody. Startled, the bird flapped it's wings furiously as she stared into the girls eyes. Her pupils resembled a blue moon before they returned to normal.

Though, it might already be to late.

* * *

**Red: boorrrreedd.**

**Oh, stop whining. The next chapter will be better I swear.**

**Red: I better meet interesting people on my adventure.**

**oh don't worry you will *smirks***

***narrows eyes* What's with the face.**

**Lets just say you might meet a certain thief next chapter. hehe**

**Red:WHA-**

**don't forget to review! I would love to hear from you silent readers~**

**Red: QUIT IGNORING ME!**

Ciao!


	6. Change

**This is basically the last chapter for this book. I'll post the second part to this story soon, just keep an eye open for a story called Runaway.**

**P.S Red is not in this chapter, but you should still read it. **

* * *

_"Everything happens for a reason."_

* * *

(Location: classified)

"It's time." The shadowed figure announced to the group of six as they nodded simultaneously. Five of them wore a dark blue hooded cloak that covered every inch of their body.

The middle one slowly walked forward, letting her light blue cloak trail behind her. "Good." she said as she stood in front the lean figure. She pulled down her hood to reveal golden locks of hair and a feathery bird mask that covered her eyes. "It's time the world knew-" everyone else pulled down their hood to revel their different animal masks as the spoke in unison;

**"that the mockingbird still lives."**

* * *

(Location: Unknown)

The heavy night air is thick with fear as an undistinguished sound roars throughout the forest. Ripples are created in puddle by the vibrations of the two shadowed animals that passed by. How much farther would they last..

Fear fueled their speed as they tried to run deeper into the forest. The sound of trees falling and birds shrilled shrieks means that their pursuer hasn't given up. Hoof marks are left in the moist dirt as the first animal runs faster, leaving the second animal slightly behind, something red shimmered against it's furry chest as it's muscular paws pushed hard against the ground; leaving a trail of dust behind them. Blood dribbles down its large front paws as it tries to run faster but it hissed in pain as the wound slightly bleed faster, preventing it form gaining speed.

He silently cursed. How did this happen?

"Aniki," the second creature breathed out, "I can't go much further."

The first creature slowed down enough for it's brother to catch up to him, but he still slightly lagged behind. "Don't worry Kit, We'll be safe soon." The older brother reassured as the moon light lit the antlers on his horse shaped head. "Just keep running a little longer."

-_swish_-

Big, glowing cat eyes widened as it narrowed down at the whistle like sound. Looking back, he could just barely see a sharp object shooting straight though the air...

Right to his big brother.

"No!" He shouted as he pushed his large, furry hind legs into on powerful kick. The antlered creature only had time to turn around as he saw his brother jump behind him.

-THWACK-

"No..." Empty eyes looked at the giant tiger that tumble on the ground before lying motionless in a puddle of it's own blood._ Brother... _Near it lied a fanged shaped ruby that broke off his brothers chain. The light slowly started to dim as the tigers breathes turned raspy.

"E-Eliot," two different colored dimmed eyes looked at the massive elk into sadness. "_I'm sorry..._" He whispered as his eyes suddenly grew heavy.

The last thing he saw was the elks pain stricken face as darkness consumed his vision.

He knew no more.

* * *

(Location: Private)

"It's a girl-"

-BAM-

"Itte! Why'd ya hit me!?"

"Huh, you actually felt that through your thick head."

"I'll get you back late, now-" he eyed the girl that lied face down on the ground, "what do we do with her?"

"Well, we could help her."

"But papa said he doesn't wan't to see anymore people come 'home' with us."

"Yeah, but as long as he doesn't _see_ her-"

"Zop-"

"Hey, she was never their if he doesn't see her."

"...I guess, bu-"

"Great! Now, help me pick her up."

"Okay, but-"

"Everything's gonna be fine, papa's never home. We'll have her taken care of before anyone ever notices."

"But-"

"But what?!"

"...Father isn't the only person we need to worry 'bout..."

* * *

(Location: Silvem's hollow)

"How did you escape?"

"It was easy, we just needed to wait for the right opportunity and WAM! Ran right out of their."

"Did anyone remove the crystal while we were gone?"

"No..."

"Figures."

"If we can't touch the crystal then who can?"

"I don't know but we gotta find them soon..."

"Maybe they'll find us."

Everyone looked at the new figure that floated in and their faces lit up instantly with recognition.

"Your Majesty!"

She smiled. "Glad to see that your safe now."

"Mom," her eyes landed on the teenager with indigo eyes, "what did you mean by that? Who are 'they'."

Her Mother gave a faint smile and looked up into the night sky.

"Who knows. Fate works in mysterious ways."

* * *

(Location: Drum kingdom)

"That was almost to easy." remarked the guard as he struck down the girl with the final blow. Cold, glowing light blue eyes looked down in amusement as the body fell lifelessly to the snowy ground. "And '**he**' said this was going to be hard." The male voice said with a echo.

The shimmering, Translucent skin of the girl suddenly turned pale and cold. The man smirked as he walked closer to the body, hand reaching out for the necklace that dangled around her pale neck. "You probably won't need this were you're going."

"NO!"

He was violently shoved to the side as another body slammed into him. Glaring eyes rested upon a girl with choppy pink hair as she shielded her fallen friend. "Don't touch her!" her chest heaved faster as she tried to regain her strength.

"Oh, don't worry she's not dead." The man stated calmly as a feminine voice emitted from his mouth. His smirk grew as he saw the look of horror and recognition that painted the pink haired girls face. "What purpose would serve if she was to die."

"Y-you..." The girl let out a shaky breath as the man walked closer. _That voice... _Her eyes wandered to the glowing blue eyes that looked at her like she was a scrape of meat.

_she's suppose to be dead..._

"After all '**H****e**' has much better plans for her..." The man drew out his sword, "**PLANS YOU WON'T GET TO SEE!**"

The girl closed her eyes as the sword swung directly at her.

_I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Naira..._

* * *

(Location: Water 7)

"Blu?!"

"Blu!?"

Wet footsteps echoed throughout the empty ruins of a once beautiful town in the city of shipwrights, Water 7. It saddened her heart for this once beautiful town to be nothing more than a pile of old ruins and watch as the people continued to build their houses higher as the water levels continued to rise.

"Blu!?" But she had bigger problems to deal with at the moment.

The pitter patter continued as small figure ran along the edge of the eroding town. "Blu?!" a little girl hollered through cupped hands. Her stormy grey eyes darted to the water in anticipation. She expected to see her friend slash out of the water and surprise her, but nothing came out. The waves rolled in harder as the sky quickly grew dark. The sky lit with lightning, illuminating the tears that rolled down the little girl face. She furiously wiped away the tears from her face and continued moving. Only to be stopped by a voice.

"Vika!"

Blue hair whipped back as the young child saw an older version of herself with a long, slit purple skirt running at her.

Her face immediately brightened. "Sis!"

"Vika," straight, long blue hair swayed as the older sister kneel down in front of Vika. "what are you doing her?"

"It's Blu!" Vika cried, "I can't find him!"

Green eyes blinked in confusion. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I'm sure he'll come back soon." the eldest flashed a smile, "He's probably just chasing another seaking again."

"B-but-"

"Come." She offered her hand. "I'm sure he's back at the temple, where _we_ should be."

"Ok..."

The due walked slowly through the eroding town, letting the rain soak their clothes. Vika's eyes looked longingly at the ocean as she mumbled.

"But Blu never goes out in a storm..."

* * *

(Location: Florian Triangle)

"No..." The woman whispered as she saw the man eyeing his handy work as he licked the blood of her mother off his fingers. Her mother...

**_Their_** mother.

"Ah, Catori," He greeted her as he continued to lick the blood of his fingers. "you missed all the_ fun._" He slightly chuckled at his own humor.

She ran to her mother and fell to her knees as she stared at the empty hole on her chest. The bloody heart was lying on the floor next to the lifeless body.

"Nii-san." She whispered, scared that her voice might falter. " What did you do?"

Said man let out a dark chuckle, "Something I should have done a long time ago."

Violet eyes stared in hatred at her brother. How could he do this to them?! After all they did!? A sparkle caught her gaze as her eyes wandered to the ring on her brother's finger.

"Where did you get that?" '_It couldn't be, could it? He would do something that low.'_

"Oh," He flashed her a mischievous grin, "I think you know."

Her eyes glared in fury as he slowly started walking away, leaving a trail of bloody footsteps behind.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go retrieve something that was rightfully mine."

Suddenly, he stopped walking, looking at the weapon that was pointed to his face with a calm gaze.

"I will not let you manipulate our people." She stated as she blocked his path. Her eyes glistened through her black, thick hair.

"Dear sister," His hand lifted to show the black ring that glowed fiercely, "They're not your people anymore."

And with that, both of them lunged for the kill.

* * *

**R&R**

**Bye~**


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